Play’n’Learn refreshed Te Kōhanga Reo o Nga Pihi O Te Purapura Pai with custom furniture, defined learning zones, and culturally aligned design elements to improve flow, supervision, and tamariki-led exploration.
Rewanui Early Learning Centre
Te Whare Aonui – “The House that connects to the wider world”
Owner, Natalie, and head Kaiako, Anna, worked with Play’n’Learn to design and deliver a natural learning environment that feels light, comfortable, and brings the “outdoors, indoors”. Play’n’Learn’s Philosophy-First Design’ system ensured that Rewanui ELC’s core philosophy and pedagogies are represented in the learning environments, showing tamariki, Kaiako and whanau that “this place is a place for growth and learning in connection to the wider world”.
Key to Rewanui’s natural look & feel, is the use of sustainable materials in the furniture, equipment, and resources including, FSC-certified European Birch Plywood, New Zealand Pine, and recycled plastic-rubber composites.
The biggest challenge the Play’n’Learn team helped Natalie & Anna overcome was excess noise – originally the classrooms were very ‘echoey and loud’. Through the intentional use of acoustic materials such as Autex hanging leaves, furniture panels, and on-wall elements, Play’n’Learn were able to significantly reduce the reverberation time (reverb sound) and sound attenuation (sound transmission through materials), resulting in a calm, peaceful environment.
Congratulations Natalie, Anna, and the Rewanui team, it’s a privilege to partner with you to design, manufacture, and fit-out learning environments that inspire tamariki, Kaiako, and whanau to develop a holistic nature-first approach to learning through play.
